


Goodnight Lantea

by Brumeier



Series: Bite Sized Fic [105]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Family Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, Prompt Fill, Reading
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-08-12
Packaged: 2018-08-08 09:15:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7751872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>LJ Comment Fic for Reading & Writing prompt: <i>Stargate Multiverse, Any, Reading Goodnight Moon to their child for the first time and changing some of the good nights.</i></p><p>In which Jeannie visits, but the book she thinks she's going to read to AJ turns out to be something else.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Goodnight Lantea

Jeannie never failed to be impressed when she visited Atlantis. The city was a marvel, a technological treasure trove, and she understood why Mer had no interest in moving home. Which didn’t mean she wouldn’t try to talk him into it again while she was there; she’d love to see her nephew more than once a year.

The _Daedalus_ had gotten in late, well past bedtime, but John and AJ were there to greet Jeannie. AJ was wearing the spaceship pajamas she’d sent him for his birthday, and he looked like he was already half asleep.

“Hi, sweetie!” Jeannie held out her arms and AJ willingly reached out for her. When Madison was two she hadn’t wanted anyone but her mother.

AJ tucked his head against her neck. “Sleepy.”

“He wanted to wait up for you,” John explained.

“And where’s my brother?”

“Rodney’s working, but he’ll catch up with you in the morning.”

Jeannie frowned, but she refrained from making the comment that was on the tip of her tongue. She thought Mer had stepped up, that he was being a good dad. But working in the labs all night? Well, she’d have a few words for him when she saw him.

“Don’t,” John said softly. He steered her and AJ towards the transporters. 

“John –”

“I mean it, Jeannie. The system we have works. Rodney spends most of the day with AJ. He’s a good dad, and I don’t want you to make him second-guess himself.”

“But his priorities –”

“Are exactly where they should be. We both still have jobs to do here. Neither one of us can be the stay-at-home mom.”

Jeannie gave him a sharp look, to see if he was making a dig at her, but he had a bland expression on his face that told her nothing. Still, she was a big enough person to admit that he had a point. All the more reason they should come back to Earth. She’d be more than happy to look after AJ for them.

“Daddy, go sleep?”

“Sure thing, buddy.” John scooped AJ out of Jeannie’s arms. 

The transporter took them to the residential floor, and the quarters that John, Mer and AJ shared. It was fairly roomy, with two bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen. The couch already had sheets and extra pillows stacked on it.

“Auntie read?”

“You want Aunt Jeannie to read your bedtime story?” John clarified.

AJ nodded sleepily. “Night-night book.”

Jeannie couldn’t help but smile. AJ was adorable, and he seemed like a pretty well-adjusted little boy. His bedroom held a mix of Earth-based toys and harmless Ancient devices, plus some mechanical things – like the automated Ferris wheel – that Mer had clearly built from scratch.

John tucked AJ into bed, and then reached around to the bookshelf to grab the book that AJ wanted. 

“Oh, _Goodnight Moon_! He likes it?” Jeannie had sent him that, too. Further proof that Earth held plenty of things for AJ that the Pegasus galaxy couldn’t offer him.

“It’s his favorite,” John said with a smirk. 

AJ patted the side of the bed. “Sit, Auntie!”

Jeannie sat and accepted the book from John. The green cover with the window and the moon was so familiar to her. “This was Maddy’s favorite book, too.”

But when she opened it up, Jeannie saw that the inside pages were completely different. Instead of the great green room, there was a charmingly illustrated picture of the Gate room. She looked up at John, who only shrugged.

“Read, Auntie,” AJ said, tugging at Jeannie’s arm.

“In the big Gate room, there was a wormhole, that blue would bloom, and a window where…you can see two great big moons.”

Jeannie turned the pages, interested to see what came next. Whoever had drawn the pictures had done a lovely job, and hadn’t forgotten about the mouse that hid on each spread.

“And there were several teams with gear extreme. And Teyla and Ronon, and Chuck with a grin. And an Ancient greenhouse, and a young mouse.”

AJ pointed eagerly at the mouse, even as he gave a jaw-cracking yawn.

“And a crystal, and a toolkit, and Daddy’s baseball mitt. And a big comfy couch where we all can sit.”

“Goodnight room,” AJ said. “Goodnight moons.”

Jeannie chuckled. “Goodnight spaceship going over the moons.”

“Goodnight Poppa!” AJ shouted. 

“And the blue that blooms. Goodnight ‘jumper, goodnight numbers. Goodnight ‘tina and goodnight Torren.”

“Goodnight whales. Goodnight mail.”

Jeannie cocked an eyebrow at John. Clearly someone had been struggling with the rhymes. She took too long reading the next part and AJ poked her. “Goodnight little buddy, Daddy’s got your six. Goodnight Radek, and Miko too. Goodnight little mouse, whatever you do.”

AJ dropped back on his pillow and rubbed his eyes. “Night-night stars. Night-night air.”

“Goodnight to Lanteans everywhere.”

That was the end of the book. Jeannie handed it back to John, and she had to revise her earlier thought. Clearly there was a lot for AJ right there in Atlantis. Maybe a boy born in the Pegasus galaxy would feel more at home there than anywhere else.

“Kiss face,” AJ said.

John leaned over the bed and peppered AJ’s face with kisses, and if that wasn’t the most adorable thing Jeannie had ever seen she’d eat her shoes. AJ kissed him back, and then did the same to Jeannie.

“Goodnight, buddy,” John said.

There was a low-level hum as the safety shield came on, which doubled as a softly-glowing blue night light. Jeannie was pretty sure AJ was asleep before they even made it out of the room.

“You’re a really good dad,” she said to John when they were back in the living room.

He ducked his head, but she could see the pleased grin on his face. “Your brother is, too, Jeannie.”

“I know,” she replied. And she really believed that. “It’s just…how can he miss this?”

“The same way I miss morning snuggle time.” John shrugged. “We both can’t be with him every minute of the day. And when he starts school, we’ll change the schedule so the three of us can be together in the evenings.”

Jeannie nodded. “Okay. I promise I won’t poke at Mer about it.”

“Thank you.”

“Now. Goodnight mail?”

John huffed out a laugh. “I’m a pilot, not a poet.”

“Who did the illustrations? They were really adorable.”

“My 2IC.”

“Major Lorne? Artistic talent _and_ dimples? He’s a real catch.”

John rolled his eyes. “You want something to eat?”

“Sure. And then you can catch me up on everything I’ve missed.”

*o*o*o*

By the time Rodney stumbled home after a long night in the labs – he was so close to figuring out a way to recharge the ZPMs – it was to find John and Jeannie asleep on the couch, their heads tipped together, and _Goodnight Moon_ on the coffee table.

Rodney grinned. “Goodnight family everywhere,” he whispered.


End file.
